


Friends Forever

by stranger_thanfiction



Series: Stranger Things 30 Day Challenge [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Gay Will Byers, I heavily hint he's gay but there's nothing explicit, Season 3 Spoilers, Will-centric, all will wants to do is play dnd, can be read as both, he's not girl crazy and it shows, is he uninterested or gay, mike seems like an asshole but that's because at the time he was
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 03:08:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19862503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stranger_thanfiction/pseuds/stranger_thanfiction
Summary: All Will wants to do is play Dungeons and Dragons. Is that too much to ask?Apparently.season 3 spoilers!





	Friends Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt (from @hey-dingus's 30 Day ST Challenge on tumblr) is Day 4: Most Underrated Scene and I immediately thought of my boy Will Byers. 
> 
> Will Byers deserves the entire world, but this quick little piece is a start. Maybe it's because Noah carried the entirety of Season 2 on his back, but we were robbed of more of his talent. This scene is a great insight into Will's character post all the trauma. 
> 
> Also someone, for the love of God, play D&D with him in Season 4. It's not that hard. Maybe El will? My little sunflowers together? I can dream.
> 
> I'm thinking of continuing this, to maybe add a group apology, but it all depends. As always, kudos and comment if you enjoyed it and if not, my tumblr is open for yelling @modernfeminismtalking

Castle Byers was Will’s temple against the troubles of life for the longest time. 

His dad was such an asshole, and there was only so much Jonathan could do with music before Will needed to get _out_. 

With his mom’s permission, Jonathan and the rest of the Party helped him build Castle Byers four summers ago, when his mom and dad’s fighting was at its loudest, louder than the boombox could ever be. 

Building the fort was tough work, but the Party’s endless enthusiasm and his mom’s lemonade made it all worthwhile. 

After two days, it was finally finished. 

The Party helped him make it nice. Dustin brought some of his mom’s old blankets, Lucas some extra comics, and Mike snagged one of Holly’s extra crayon packs. 

“I know it’s not the big pack, but these will do for out here, right?” he squinted at Will, holding the tools out with a smile on his face.

Will takes the crayons with a shy nod, a blush covering his face.

Once everything was settled, Jonathan went back inside. The boys stayed inside the castle until dark, when Will’s mom had to send them all home after receiving phone calls from all of their mothers.

His friends departed on their bikes, with the promise that they’d all meet at Mike’s to play Dungeons and Dragons the following day. 

That memory seems like a lifetime ago. 

“Can we please play D&D now?” he asks for the fourth time, helplessly dragging behind Mike and Lucas as they search the mall for presents for their girlfriends. 

Will can’t help but feel that if Dustin was here, he would back him up.

Unfortunately, Dustin is MIA, probably off talking to his girlfriend, so Will is stuck trailing behind the two lovesick idiots. 

He’s getting really sick of being ignored in favor of the two newest party members. 

Will truly has no problem with the girls.

Max balances the Party, their Zoomer keeping all of them on their toes and never letting any of them get too cocky. He enjoys El’s company, she’s quiet like he is, but he’d like her so much more if she stopped distracting his best friend. 

Will knows El’s been through so much, maybe even more than he has, so he tries so hard to be nice to her and include her, but he really misses Mike. 

Mike never wants to hang out anymore, he only wants to make out with her. He never wants to play D&D or do anything with the group anymore, and by proxy, neither does the Party. 

Does the campaign even exist if the Paladin doesn’t plan it? 

When Max and El decide to take off by themselves and have some fun, Will sees his chance to bring back his friends to what really matters--old fashioned monster hunting.

While Lucas and Mike sulk in the basement and eventually fall asleep, Will stays up all night planning the latest campaign. 

Okay, so he’s not as good at Mike with storytelling and putting it together, but he’s actually pretty proud of how this one turned out. 

Will even digs out his old mage costume--and the staff--so they know this is real.

Lucas and Mike eventually agree on playing, albeit reluctantly. Will put music on and everything, hoping to get them into the spirit, but it doesn’t work. They quickly become bored and distracted and end the campaign early so they can keep talking about the girls.

Will gives up. If they want to keep talking about them, _fine_ , but he’s sick of being ignored. 

Maybe he can radio Dustin later and get some help. 

The two boys realize their mistake, but the damage is already done. 

Mike follows him out, and tries to apologize, but Will is done listening. He points out that they’re missing another party member, breaking one of their rules, and about how their group is tearing apart. 

Mike, striking back, basically calls him childish and delusional, and Will feels as if he’s been hit when Mike throws his own words back in his face. 

“It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” 

Will sees the regret immediately flash across Mike’s face, but the hurt is too large to ignore as he gets on his bike to head home. 

He should’ve left when Dustin did. He was right, this is bullshit. 

He’s soaked by the time he reaches the house, but his mom and Jonathan aren’t home. 

Will rides past the house to Castle Byers, his safe haven against the shit of life. 

He dumps his bike outside and crawls in, his lanky limbs making the space seem smaller than usual.

He does what he always does when he’s this upset. He draws a little on the scrap paper he finds, trying to distract himself, and ends up half-heartedly flipping through one of his comic books. 

Will’s never been good at ignoring his feelings. He ends up looking at old pictures of the party, before El, before Max, before he disappeared, and his chest burns. 

He missed so much. His friends have moved on and he’s stuck. All he wants is to have a good day, which for Will is playing D&D in Mike’s basement and shoving their mouths with pizza. 

Those days are long gone, he realizes. 

Will knows they didn’t mean to change, that they still include him in the Party. Even so, his heart breaks at seeing them all together in the picture, smiling and happy, something they haven’t been in a long time. 

“Stupid, stupid, so stupid!” Will ends up crying, head in his hands as he fights the compulsion to pull at his hair. He’s hit with the urge to punch something, anything, then he sees the bat in the corner of the fort. 

Their friendship really means nothing? They really don’t care about him anymore? 

The rage at his friends, at himself, at something so out of his control moves him to grab the bat and attack the top of the castle. 

The fort is built stronger than he expects it to be. Will ends up only destroying the top and one of the side support branches before he collapses out of exhaustion. 

He’s still crying when he feels it.

The hair on his neck stands up. The feeling of goosebumps tracking against his skin causes dread to crawl up from his stomach into his throat, threatening to make him vomit. 

“Will?” Lucas calls from far off, barely audible over the pounding rain and roaring thunder.

“Will?” a second voice, Mike’s, sounds closer.

“Will! Are you okay?” they question, racing over to where he’s standing.

Mike and Lucas find him standing stock still in front of the damaged Castle Byers, drenched and shaking. 

“We thought you were--” Mike stops as he turns around, his tear stained face struck with fear.

“He’s back,” Will shrieks to them, the tremors growing stronger as he realizes what this means. 

They’re all in danger once again. The Mindflayer never really left. 

“He’s back!”


End file.
